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  you are in: ADVICE > FAQs > PONDS > WHEN TO CARRY OUT WORK



Advice and Resources

Frequently Asked Questions about...

Ponds


When is the best time to do work on my pond?

Quick answer
Ideally wait until September to create least disturbance.

Further information
If possible wait until late autumn (September/October) to carry out work on a pond as this is when there will be least amphibians in it to disturb. Froglets will have left the pond in late summer and adult frogs looking to hibernate won't arrive until around November.

Occasionally tadpoles or newt larvae will overwinter in the pond rather than developing and leaving in the summer, so have a good sweep around with a net to check what's in the water before you start work.

If you need to undertake work on your pond before autumn, for example fixing a leak, make sure you consider the pond's inhabitants - keep them in a tank or bucket out of the way while you work. It may be possible to keep the pond topped up until a more appropriate time of year; if so try to use rain water rather than tap water.

More on...
O Working on the pond - what to do with the creatures in it?
O Topping up ponds.
O Tadpoles still in the pond in autumn.

O Ponds and the law.
O
Just Add Water.